Daily Gospel Reflection for January 11, 2014

Jesus is baptizing. John is also baptizing. There is an “abundance of water”, so it seems we don’t need to be concerned with being anything but being thoroughly cleansed by our own baptisms and our faithfulness to those vows.

We stand with John. We recognize, as we live out our vocations as Catholic moms, that we are not the Christ. By His grace, we live and move and have our being.

We wake, we serve, we love, we offer. When we fail, we dive back into the grace in sacramental confession, and emerge from the plunge even stronger.

We recognize our need, and want, our thirst, and see, interestingly enough, that it is in the “decrease” that we see Him “increase.” Like John, we ask for the greatest of all virtues: humility. This is our joy. It becomes complete when we give ourselves away in love: of our families, our children.

And somehow, in this humility, this decrease, we become more ourselves. He has filled us with His grace. He has increased.

Ponder:

How has the gift of humility manifested itself in your life?

Pray:

Dear Lord, by the intercession of St. John the Baptist, give us the grace to stay faithful to our baptismal vows. We ask for the great virtue of humility so that in serving our loved ones, and decreasing our need for self-gratification, we might find our true selves and increase in the great joy that you promise. Amen.

About Author

Catholic wife and mom, Cindy Costello, works as Coordinator of Marriage Ministry for the Diocese of Paterson, NJ. Using her instructor’s certification from the Theology of the Body Institute in Downingtown, PA, she enjoys speaking and writing wherever the Holy Spirit leads her. Married 30 years with 3 grown and 2 teenaged children, she integrates her prayer life into her life’s experiences in evangelizing the joy of the Catholic Faith. Visit her website at CindyACostello.com.

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5 Comments

Simply beautiful! Of all the graces I ask for most and need in greatest supply, it is humility. Your prayer contained a life preserver I hadn’t even recognized before…praying for the intercession of St. John the Baptist…what a perfect example of humility! I forget to call specifically on the saints as I should. Thank you for the gift this morning! Blessings on your day!